The invention relates to a structure of a front portion of a body shell of a vehicle, in particular a motor vehicle.
As is known, a front portion structure of a body shell of a motor vehicle comprises a transverse firewall intended to separate the passenger compartment from the engine compartment of the vehicle. The structure also comprises various bodywork elements comprising, in particular, a lateral firewall cross-member arranged to strengthen the transverse firewall of the structure, a lower bay cross-member on which the lower portion of the windshield of the vehicle rests, and a stretcher stabilizer resting against a corresponding stretcher of the vehicle, a stretcher being an element of the bodywork welded to a cross-member of the vehicle and arranged in the extension of a longitudinal member.
The three bodywork elements are each connected by an end to an A-pillar of a front door of the vehicle. However, in violent head-on collisions where the stresses are concentrated, in particular, on one side of the front portion of the vehicle and cover a maximum of twenty-five percent of the covering surface of the front portion of the vehicle, it is common for the connections between the bodywork elements and the A-pillar to be broken, which is a danger to the driver and, if present, to the passengers in the vehicle.
EP 2014540 discloses a structure of a front portion of the body shell of a vehicle comprising two lateral partitions strengthening the lower bay cross-member, the partitions each being attached to a corresponding junction plate and to an end of the lower bay cross-member, each junction plate extending longitudinally relative to the vehicle and being rigidly connected to the lower bay cross-member and to a suspension support. Thus, the presence of the lateral partitions allows the lower bay cross-member to be stiffened, which reduces the vibrations of the windshield and the emission of noises when vibrating.
However, the lateral partitions are not provided to strengthen the structure of the front portion of the vehicle, and therefore offer no additional safety should a head-on collision occur.